by Al Struck
Keoka Lake on the morning of July 30th didn’t show a ripple as John Wait piloted Greg Peterson and Al Struck around the lake setting the buoys for the Regatta that afternoon. The new buoys purchased by the KLA were bright and visible from a long way off. A portent of how well the day would go.
By 11:00 a.m. the wind was blowing a good 12 to 15 mph with whitecaps and gusts much higher. The kind of weather that makes a sailor’s heart go pit-a-pat.
By noon, Camps Birch Rock, Wigwam, and Waziyatah were starting to arrive at the Keoka Beach Campground.
Having that portion of the beach set aside by Chris Searles has been such a boon for the Regatta. It gives us plenty of room to set up boats and prepare for the race. It was quite a sight, with 19 boats from the camps and from around the lake strung out on the white sand, shining in the sunshine, sails whipping in the steady wind.
The course for the Regatta took us from the start line in front of Kokosing up to Rock Island, where we rounded the first marker. Then the fleet tacked a zigzag course from the East Shore to the West shore, where the second marker waited. We then returned to the East shore just South of the O’Brian’s cove, where the final marker bobbed in the swell. From that point it was a straight shot back to the finish line, where the Committee boat waited to record the order as the competitors crossed the line.
Brenda Hambleton, Captain; Doss and Riley Hasson; Ted Nixon; and Steve Dosh sighted and confirmed boat numbers. Riley, again this year, dove into the lake to be right on the finish line and report craft crossing.
As the final boat crossed the finish line, we all gave a great cheer to celebrate a clean safe race. The smiles and backslapping congratulations testified that good sportsmanship was alive and well on the beach that afternoon.
The results of the Camp Cup are as follows:
Sunfish class: 1st Ben Kehoe, Birch Rock; 2nd Manny Tollkoff, Birch Rock
Cat class: 1st Stella Mueller and Mars McGraw, Waziyatah; 2nd Hutch Loney, Waziyatah
Laser class: 1st Nate McCormick, Birch Rock; 2nd Teddy McCormick, Birch Rock
First camper and winner of the KLA Camp Cup: Nate McCormick for Birch Rock
The results of the 9th Bud Lazott Memorial Regatta are as follows:
Laser class: 1st Glenn Haberbush (two years in a row!); 2nd Robert Conway
Open class: 1st Mark Dekanter
Thanks to Tom and Joanne Aiello for manning the registration table and making sure all boats cleared the beach for a good start. Thanks to Ginger Eaton for being our boat inspector keeping our lake safe. Thanks to Bill and Sarah Stockwell and John Wait for being our chase boats to keep our sailors safe.
Finally, a huge thank you to the waterfront staff at the three camps for the excellent job preparing the campers for the race. See you all next year for the 10th year of the Bud Lazott Memorial Regatta!